Greatest Gifts From Mom

One of the greatest gifts my mom has given me is her support and encouragement in following my dreams and passions. With my mom, I never feel as though I am not enough, or as though the choices I have made to follow God—rather than the world’s view of success—have disappointed her.

When I entered a writing contest in 9th grade, she encouraged me, and was excited for me when I won. When I tried out for the Miss Idaho Pageant and Young Woman of the Year, she and my dad were right there beside me, supporting me and cheering me on. When I was the first person in our extended family to attend college, Mom believed I could succeed. And I did.

When I had my first child at 19, out of wedlock, she stood by my side and helped me.

When I met my husband Barry, an incredible Christian man, she was excited right along with me, encouraging me and rejoicing with me. When my husband adopted my son, she was there with her support.

When Barry and I had our first child together, Mom was present with her love and strength, rejoicing with us. When that same baby became sick just days later, and we discovered he had three congenital heart defects, Mom was right there with us, her support, love and prayers a comfort to us. When he went to be with the Lord after only 25 days of life, she was there.

When I wrote an Easter play that was enacted at church, she rejoiced with me, and came to see the play. She enjoyed it and told me how proud she was of me.

When I gave birth to each of my next two children, she was there—or at least en route to our town and hospital, depending on the quickness of the delivery!

When I decided to leave my career to raise my children full time, she encouraged me and was happy for me.

When I began a jewelry design business, she was one of my biggest fans, and she delighted in the creations I made.

When I began writing, her excitement and encouragement helped spur me on.

Thank you, Mom, for being my mom. For supporting and encouraging me. For helping me to know that I am special, that I can and do make a difference. Thank you for encouraging me in my relationship with Jesus. For believing in me. Thank you for loving me. You truly make a world of difference in my life.

I love you, Mom.

Lessons From a Hairy Carrot

What do you see when you look at this picture? Lunch? Old, hairy carrots? Garbage?

Wanna know what I see? I see potential. I see life. I see something that has been uprooted and intended for destruction. . . . which isn't yet ready to admit defeat.

Regardless of its condition or age. Regardless of how long it has spent in a cold, dark place. Patiently, persistently it has pulled from its reserves of energy, ever waiting to reach a situation more conducive to further growth. Sending out silky root tendrils and pale leafy tops in preparation. Waiting, ever waiting.

That sounds like US at times, doesn't it? I think that's exactly why the carrots struck such a chord within me when I saw them--I had considered them dead, but they were very much alive and ready for action!

May these carrots encourage and remind us that where there is life, there is hope. Hope for growth or regrowth. Hope for achieving our fullest potential. For He's not finished with us yet!

Fare Thee Well, National Poetry Month

Has April yet nearly passed us by?

My how the days did fly!

Merely one day more

Til we close the door

On National Poetry Month.

But do not fear!

For today you'll hear

Something to rehearse

It's all about a verse,

We call prose poetry.

Prose poetry is, well, poetry that is free of outward trappings of rhythm and rhyme scheme, of stanzaic patterns, of line length and syllable counts. They contain more natural speech and word patterns than other forms of poetry. Although free of the outward strictures, the poems contain a hidden, inner discipline that mold and shape them.

They are prose and they are poetry all at the same time. Beautiful concept, isn't it?


Following is a prose poem by Oscar Wilde:

THE ARTIST

by Oscar Wilde

ONE evening there came into his soul the desire to fashion an image
of THE PLEASURE THAT ABIDETH FOR A MOMENT. And he went forth into
the world to look for bronze. For he could think only in bronze.

But all the bronze of the whole world had disappeared, nor anywhere
in the whole world was there any bronze to be found, save only the
bronze of the image of THE SORROW THAT ENDURETH FOR EVER.

Now this image he had himself, and with his own hands, fashioned,
and had set it on the tomb of the one thing he had loved in life.
On the tomb of the dead thing he had most loved had he set this
image of his own fashioning, that it might serve as a sign of the
love of man that dieth not, and a symbol of the sorrow of man that
endureth for ever. And in the whole world there was no other
bronze save the bronze of this image.

And he took the image he had fashioned, and set it in a great
furnace, and gave it to the fire.

And out of the bronze of the image of THE SORROW THAT ENDURETH FOR
EVER he fashioned an image of THE PLEASURE THAT ABIDETH FOR A
MOMENT.

And following is a prose poem freshly penned by Bernice Seward:

A POEM IN PROSE

by Bernice Seward

A poem in prose is a poem indeed, unfettered by external bonds. Of rhyme scheme, of meter, of stanzaic compaction. Not compelled to march by corporeal command.

A poem in prose is a poem indeed, engendered from a glorious seed. That sprouts, that grows; roots reach down, tender leaves stretch out--to be and become, to blossom, bear fruit, with cadence and structure, God-breathed, found within.

 Have you ever tried your hand at prose poetry? I'd love to hear about it. Or hear about newly inspired verses!

11 Ways to Yummify Oatmeal

Since eating hot cereal is more cost-effective than eating cold cereal, here are 11 topping ideas I've devised to "yummify" quick oats:

1. 1/2 and 1/2 and brown sugar
2. Handful of trail mix (can add before cooking)
3. Splash of flavored coffee creamer
4. Chocolate chips and peanut butter
5. Raisins, cranberries, or diced fruit
6. Milk and honey
7. S'mores--chocolate chips and mini marshmallows
8. Drizzle of maple syrup
9. Spoonful of jelly
10. PB & J (peanut butter and jelly--crunchy pb is particularly yummy)
11. Walnuts and cranberries

What are some ways you and your family dress up oatmeal?

Five Ways to Save on Groceries This Month

We all want to spend less on our grocery budgets, right? Here are five things I've been doing that help me save an average of $50 a month on my grocery budget:

1. Bin shopping.
I'm sure this is on nearly every "lower your grocery budget" list. At our fairly local bag-it-yourself store, bin items cost about 1/4 the price of prepackaged items at a typical grocery store. And they have a vast selection of snacks, fruits, cereals, nuts, legumes, flours, sugars, spices, trail mixes--the list goes on and on. The bins also include specialty "healthy" options that can provide GREATER than a 75% discount from typical store prices.

2. Peruse local sales paper ads.
Many of these are offered with a local paper (we have a free classified paper delivered every Tuesday that includes local grocery store ads) or can be found online. It is easy to compare sales prices and purchase specific items you are looking for. I've found this particularly helpful when shopping for meat, which is typically one of the highest priced menu items. Couponing can also be very beneficial, although it can be time-consuming and can woo us into buying items we don't really need or use.

3. Eat more hot cereal.
Serving per serving, hot cereal costs less than cold cereal does. And it is easier to control your sugar intake. Oatmeal, for instance, is high in fiber and protein, can be microvawed in just over a minute, and the topping selection is limited only by your imagination.

4. Plan meals in advance.
I've developed a 2-week meal plan which includes a number of inexpensive menu items. When I follow this plan, I can purchase items in advance (often at the less expensive bag-it-yourself store). This saves time as well as money as it requires less trips to the store AND reduces the temptation to eat out or get "quick fix" meals (plus the temptation to buy that pop or candy bar or other little thing that we don't really need).

5. Invest in resources that help lower budget costs.
I purchased three used books that include great ideas for saving money and feeding the family for less. The books have been worth far more than the small investment they required. They are:
The Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyczyn
The Tightwad Gazette II by Amy Dacyczyn
More-with-Less Cookbook by Doris Janzen Longacre

Happy saving! I'd love to hear about your experiences, and any tips you have that you'd like to share.

Sonnet De-Scramble

Here is a fun poetical thing to do for National Poetry Month! The lines of the following sonnet by Elizabeth Barrett Browning are scrambled. Print it out, cut the lines apart, and arrange them in an order that makes sense to you. (Include your family or friends in the project for even more fun!) And NO cheating by Googling to find the answer, either.

Post your answer below, and I will let you know the original line order. Have fun!

A creature might forget to weep, who bore  
A sense of pleasant ease on such a day"—  
If thou must love me, let it be for nought  
Thou mayst love on, through love's eternity.
But love me for love's sake, that evermore  
Except for love's sake only. Do not say,  
For these things in themselves, Belovèd, may 
 Be changed, or change for thee—and love, so wrought,
 "I love her for her smile—her look—her way  
That falls in well with mine, and certes brought
May be unwrought so. Neither love me for
Of speaking gently,—for a trick of thought  
Thine own dear pity's wiping my cheeks dry:
Thy comfort long, and lose thy love thereby! 



A little hint: The original rhyme scheme is abba/abba/cdcdcd

How Do I Love Thee? With Shakesperean Sonnets!

Oh the beauty and cadence of poetry. So exquisite, so deep, so exciting! Take the Shakespearean sonnet, for example.

What IS a sonnet? Well, I'm so glad you asked! A Shakesperean sonnet is a poem with fourteen lines. These lines are organized into three quatrains with a couplet at the end. They have a specific rhyming pattern (abab cdcd efef gg). AND, if that isn't enough, the lines are written in iambic pentameter--which simply means they are written with 5 sets of syllables with an emphasis on the even syllables (da-DAH da-DAH da-DAH da-DAH da-DAH).

A great example is Shakespeare's well-known Sonnet 18:

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate.
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date.

Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimmed;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature's changing course, untrimmed;

But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest,
Nor shall death brag thou wanderest in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou growest.

So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

Do you have a favorite sonnet to share about?